Loyalist killed in ambush

A senior loyalist was shot dead in a paramilitary-style ambush in east Belfast yesterday, raising fears of a loyalist feud which could destabilise Northern Ireland as the summer marching season begins.

Brian Stewart, 34, was shot twice at close range just before 8am as he drove to work on an industrial estate. He was treated by ambulance crews, but died at the scene. The gunman and accomplice escaped after abandoning their burned-out car.

Local councillors feared the murder could be the beginning of a new round of loyalist feuding, with a threat of violence spreading to the wider community.

The victim was a leading member of the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a paramilitary splinter group founded by disgruntled members of the Ulster Volunteer Force.

Friction between the two groups has increased recently, with a number of death threats made by the LVF against the UVF.

Since 2000, loyalist paramilitary feuds have claimed more than a dozen lives in Belfast. Internecine fighting has often been fuelled by turf wars to control the drugs trade and other criminal rackets.

Michael Copeland, an Ulster Unionist councillor, said: "We are sitting on a time bomb, and it's ticking."

Joe O'Donnell, Sinn Féin councillor for east Belfast, said serious efforts should be made to avoid the violence affecting "interface areas" between Catholic and Protestant communities.

He feared "internal loyalist feuding will lead to attacks on the local nationalist population."